Teaching Ideas:

General Cells:

• Ye Olde Classic 'prepare a wet slide' lab (animation here from Alberta University)
• Practice using micrometer eyepieces and calculating magnifications.
• Fantastic free virtual electron microscope emulator
• Wonderful animation on the 'inner life of the cell'

Stem Cells

• Embryos-R-Us activity form Learn.Genetics
• 'A Stem Cell Story' (DVD - 15mins). Eurostemcell, 2005. Available from http://www.eurostemcell.org

Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

• Cooking up Cells - make food models of plant, animal and prokaryote cells (or various specialised cells)

Membranes & Transport

• Using bubbles to explore membranes: http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/AEF/1995/wardell_membranes.php
• Diffusion labs
• Diffusion and Osmosis labs from PH School
• Osmosis lesson plans collection from lessonplanet.com
• Osmosis in potatos and plasmolysis in Elodea lesson plan (pdf) from Southwestern Medical Centre
• Diffusion and Osmosis magic show (perhaps use as a student demonstration to review past learning)
• Osmosis tutorial

Cell Divison

• How much time is spent in each phase of the cell cycle? From Arizona University.
• Match up images with stages - from North Harris College (why not have students make their own Flash games?)
• Onion root tip cell division from Western Kentucky University

Internal Assessment Ideas:

• "Factors affecting osmosis in..." (be careful of copied work from the internet) (Design, DPP, CE)

Key links:

• Wikibook: Cell Biology
• [http://www.cellsalive.com Cells Alive!] Very visual website
• 'A Stem Cell Story' (DVD - 15mins). Eurostemcell, 2005. Available from http://www.eurostemcell.org

OCC Resources:

• Geoff Browne's Beetroot membranes prac

Sample Tests:

• 70 minutes, 50 marks:
  

  Cells Unit Test.doc
  

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  by Steve Taylor

RECOMMMENDED TEXTS: CELLS

• Further Investigations in Biology (Vol 1): Cells and Biochemistry. Billiet, P. et al. IBID Press, 2002. ISBN 1 876659 068